Don Quixote - Part I

Gines de Pasamonte made answer for all, saying, "That which you, sir, our

deliverer, demand of us, is of all impossibilities the most impossible to

comply with, because we cannot go together along the roads, but only

singly and separate, and each one his own way, endeavouring to hide

ourselves in the bowels of the earth to escape the Holy Brotherhood,

which, no doubt, will come out in search of us. What your worship may do,

and fairly do, is to change this service and tribute as regards the lady

Dulcinea del Toboso for a certain quantity of ave-marias and credos which

we will say for your worship's intention, and this is a condition that

can be complied with by night as by day, running or resting, in peace or

in war; but to imagine that we are going now to return to the flesh-pots

of Egypt, I mean to take up our chain and set out for El Toboso, is to

imagine that it is now night, though it is not yet ten in the morning,

and to ask this of us is like asking pears of the elm tree."

"Then by all that's good," said Don Quixote (now stirred to wrath), "Don

son of a bitch, Don Ginesillo de Paropillo, or whatever your name is, you

will have to go yourself alone, with your tail between your legs and the

whole chain on your back."

Pasamonte, who was anything but meek (being by this time thoroughly

convinced that Don Quixote was not quite right in his head as he had

committed such a vagary as to set them free), finding himself abused in

this fashion, gave the wink to his companions, and falling back they

began to shower stones on Don Quixote at such a rate that he was quite

unable to protect himself with his buckler, and poor Rocinante no more

heeded the spur than if he had been made of brass. Sancho planted himself

behind his ass, and with him sheltered himself from the hailstorm that

poured on both of them. Don Quixote was unable to shield himself so well

but that more pebbles than I could count struck him full on the body with

such force that they brought him to the ground; and the instant he fell

the student pounced upon him, snatched the basin from his head, and with

it struck three or four blows on his shoulders, and as many more on the

ground, knocking it almost to pieces. They then stripped him of a jacket

that he wore over his armour, and they would have stripped off his

stockings if his greaves had not prevented them. From Sancho they took

his coat, leaving him in his shirt-sleeves; and dividing among themselves

the remaining spoils of the battle, they went each one his own way, more

solicitous about keeping clear of the Holy Brotherhood they dreaded, than

about burdening themselves with the chain, or going to present themselves

before the lady Dulcinea del Toboso. The ass and Rocinante, Sancho and

Don Quixote, were all that were left upon the spot; the ass with drooping

head, serious, shaking his ears from time to time as if he thought the

storm of stones that assailed them was not yet over; Rocinante stretched

beside his master, for he too had been brought to the ground by a stone;

Sancho stripped, and trembling with fear of the Holy Brotherhood; and Don

Quixote fuming to find himself so served by the very persons for whom he

had done so much.